New safety concerns you should watch out for at swimming pool
As the weather warms up, more and more people are heading out to the pool. Whether you have your own private pool or use a community pool, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding people to be aware of the dangers that may be lurking there.
“In this valley there are hundreds of thousands of pools and I would say half of them are probably regularly checked, but I would say the other half are overlooked. They’re swimming in deadly waters,” Brent Crabtree said.
Brent Crabtree owns a pool repair business in La Quinta. He services pools that are just days away from becoming deadly.
“It would be a frightening scene for someone to be swimming in the pool and it being electrified and there’s no way for the electricity to get out of the water,” Crabtree said.
While drowning is still the No. 1 cause of pool-related deaths, a few local cases have raised awareness about pool electrocution. Including the case of a father who died trying to save his daughter from an electric shock in a Palm Springs pool last year.
Crabtree is urging people to get the mechanical components of their pool inspected.
“Their GFCI (Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter) is in good working order and that their pool lights are regularly maintained. They need to check this every three to six months to stay on top of it being safe,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree advises people to switch from 120-volt pool lights to 12-volt lights. He also says people should check the chemistry of their pool for dangerous bacteria. Pools should be checked twice a week during summer months.
The CDC released a warning about a pool parasite known as “crypto”. The number of outbreaks have doubled since 2014.
Symptoms of crypto include:
Diarrhea Stomach cramps Nausea or vomiting
To keep your pool water safe, the CDC advises people to make sure swimmers rinse off before entering the pool, don’t swallow pool water, and don’t swim or let your kids swim if sick with diarrhea.
“Pools are a luxury and require maintenance. If you neglect to take care of the safety issues of a pool, you put all your friends families and renters lives at risk,” Crabtree said.
Pool owners warned of electrocution risk
There may be less concern over electrocution due to newer equipment, but the risk is still great, especially when people aren’t aware of the potential danger.
Coroner identifies pool worker electrocuted at country club
A man died in 2016 after being electrocuted in a pool in Palm Springs More of today’s Top Stories from KESQ & CBS Local 2 Triple digit heat makes for swimming pool conditions – First Alert Weather Forecast
